Cold Whispers
by TheWritingFreak
Summary: AU: Shane and Mitchie deal with things which they can't control. /Three-Shot/ Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Camp Rock story and it's inspired by the Demi Lovato song "In Case".** **I'm going to let my story talk for itself. It came from the heart so I hope you enjoy.**

**((Shane and Mitchie are both thirty-six.))**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Camp Rock or its characters.

* * *

"_I remember that it hurt, looking at her hurt. __The way she held herself around other people after her life turned to shit, it was almost like nothing was wrong but the look in her eyes was chilling. Vacant and unseeing, it was like she had lost something vital. And she had... we both had._"  
**-..-..-**

(_June 14, 2021_)

It's late at night when she wakes up, the mattress beneath her soaked and pain stabbing her deep in the abdomen. She breaths heavy for a moment, disoriented, then fumbles for the light.  
When it shines bright the man beside her groans in distaste.

"Shane." her voice is steady, yet the tone in which she speaks causes him to wake up immediately.

He becomes more aware of his surroundings- his wife cries, her steady facade failing as sobs come from deep within her chest. Her blood is smeared on the sheets, a sight all too familiar to him. He slides out from under the covers, moving to her side and without a word pulls her into his arms.  
His jaw muscles bunch then relax as he clenches his teeth... this shouldn't be happening again.

Shane doesn't try to make excuses because it does no good to say it's going to be okay when it's not. And when her cries subside he says quietly, "Let's go to the hospital." Because that's all they can do. Nothing can make this right.  
He picks her up, leaving the blood stained mess behind him.

It isn't until later, when Mitchie is safe and relatively calm in a hospital bed, that he steps out of the room and weeps.

* * *

"_She would cry at night when she thought I couldn't hear her. More often than not I'd feign sleep, knowing that she had to grieve in her own way. I'm not proud of what I did, or rather didn't do, and I suppose that's part of the reason we started to drift apart. I missed the way her brown eyes that used to sparkle at me, and the way her laugh would echo in our house."  
_**-..-..-**

(_July 26, 2021_)

It has become an unspoken agreement between the two of them; he makes dinner every night and keeps their music room clean while she does laundry and cleans the bathrooms. They are monotonous tasks but both are thankful that it keeps them focused on the future and not the past.

Shane isn't that skilled in the kitchen- he never has been- but he's mastered the art of making box mac &amp; cheese and putting frozen mixed vegetables in the microwave. It is soon after one such dinner that he hears a strangled cry come from Mitchie. At the sound Shane stops what he's doing and tears begin to sting his eyes.

He finds her in the laundry room, the fluorescent lights washing out Mitchie' tan skin. She rocks back and forth, mumbling- a pair of skinny jeans and two faded grey squares of photo paper beside her. He doesn't question her and slides down the wall beside his wife to hold her for the first time since the miscarriage.  
They cry together, Shane squeezing Mitchie tightly while murmuring nonsense in her ear. Her breathing soon slows and her crying is reduced to hiccups.

"I've got you Mitchie... I won't let you go."

"Thank you," she says softly after a while. "... for being so good to me."

She falls asleep in his arms soon after that and Shane carries her to their bed. He rubs his face tiredly after closing the door behind himself and makes his way back to the laundry room. Just as he's about to turn off the light his eye is caught once again by the grey photo paper squares. Curious he picks them up and his heart lurches uncomfortably in his chest.

They are the pictures he kept in his pocket to remind himself of better times.

On top is a faded sonogram picture- Mitchie' name in the upper left corner and the indistinct black and white blurb of their unborn child are barely visible. It brings tears to his eyes and he runs his thumb over the damp paper. The second one is of him and Mitchie under the Camp Rock sign. Nate, Shane's brother, had taken it as Mitchie laughed at the camera and Shane is grinning at her in return.

He remembers that summer well. Despite their professions- a music teacher and English teacher respectively- they spent the summer being camp instructors; Shane for a hip-hop dance and Mitchie for advanced singing.

It's a long time before he comes back to himself and because he's emotionally drained, he turns off all the lights in the house and goes to bed.

* * *

_When it was raining used to be my favorite kind of weather. The way it would smell right before a downpour was invigorating and made me feel like I was invincible and then when it stopped it was like everything was right in the world. Clean and pure, ready for anything. Then our fight happened and everything changed.  
_**..-..-..**

(_August 10, 2021_)

It is dark outside and rain pours from the clouds as lightning flashes through the sky, thunder rumbling ominously.  
Mitchie runs fast, her feet pounding the pavement. Shane follows closely, his black curls becoming plastered to his head.

"Would you just stop?" Shane yells over the weather. "Come back to the house Mitchie...please?"

She stops abruptly at his words and Shane almost knocks her over. She turns just as lighting illuminates her face.  
"Why do we keep doing this, Shane?" Mitchie's voice cracks and pitches over the sound of the rain. She is trembling and soaked to the bone but the way she looks at him is unwavering.

He sags as if her words weighed him down. "I'm sorry." he repeats, not answering her question.

For a few moments there is only the sound of thunder between them.

"Nothing is going to change Shane" she finally says plaintively, her tears mingling with the rain "... not this way. The way we're living now is toxic. We barely held on to one another the last time this happened and I'm afraid that we won't this time. I love you Shane... god, I love you so much, but is that enough?"

His breath hitches as he thinks about the implication of her words. She is waiting for his answer.  
Shane holds her gaze, moving closer to her.

"Don't you think so?" he asks finally, his dark eyes tracing Mitchie's face.

"I used to." she says quietly, covering her quivering mouth with a shaking hand. The words are out in the open and they can't be taken back.

All the anger between them is gone and is replaced with hurt.

His breath catches in his throat again and when he speaks his words are choked. "But you don't anymore?"

Mitchie seems to contemplate his answer for a moment.  
"I know I need more than what you've been giving me and that you need more than what I've been giving you. We have been tip-toeing around each other since..." she stops, her voice trailing off. She takes a deep breath. "We don't talk anymore aside from the rare 'How was your day?' over dinner. You don't touch me... and it's like you're afraid I'm going to break. I'm stronger than I was before and Shane, I need the man I fell in love with back. It happened... I had a miscarriage, but our lives together can't stop because of it."

Shane huffs out a breath, his anger coming back.

"You're such a hypocrite Mitchie. You say that I need to get over our child dying but I've heard you at night, crying your eyes out. You sit in the barely started nursery and sing nursery rhymes to nobody. I try and talk to you and you bite my head off, but somehow that escapes you every time you start this argument. So- don't you dare give me shit for grieving because I cared about our child too!" He slaps his chest with his hand.

Shane's words pierce Mitchie's heart and she tightens her jaw, grinding her teeth. She knows he's right but she pushes it back and says what she thinks will hurt him the most.

"We've got a big house and an empty marriage. We don't have children and there is no hope that things will ever change. And I can't take it anymore."  
The words come out as a hiss and he visibly sags under the weight of her words and although his eyes are wounded Mitchie stares at him coldly.

"Empty marriage? Is that really how you feel?"

"Yes."

It was the meanest thing she's ever said to anyone and she wishes she could take it back. Calling her marriage empty was a punch to the gut, brought on by anger and hurt, with the intent to kill.  
The tension is palpable and the rain comes down harder.

"You want to see an empty marriage? I'll give you an empty marriage! I'll give you a big empty house and a big empty life to match it!"  
Shane storms into the house and she follows, just as he did with her.

"Shane..."

He whirls to face her, anger blazing in his eyes, replacing the hurt from only moments before. For the first time Mitchie is truly scared by Shane.  
"Mitchie- I swear- if you say one more word divorce papers will hit you in the face so hard it will make your head spin."

She cringes as a knee jerk reaction then goes after Shane, who has stormed off to their room and is wedging on his sneakers.

"Don't you dare threaten me Shane Grey! I'm a grown woman and your wife, so unless you are gonna put your money where your mouth is, don't you dare say that to me! This is my life too!"

He says nothing in response but grabs a duffel bag from their closet, shoving clothes from his side of the closet in it, and stomping to the dresser to do the same thing. The same rain they stood in moments ago patters on the roof in the silence.

"If you could go back..." she stops. "If you could go back, would you have ever been with me Shane? Would you go through all this pain again for our eight years of happiness?"

He still doesn't respond so Mitchie continues to talk.  
"We were supposed to have children. I want children. I want them, with you, now – and we can't because we keep losing them." She deflates, her shoulders dropping low. "I wanted to be a younger mother than this. I wanted you to be a younger father so we could run and play with our child together." Her voice breaks over the next words, "I'm sorry we can't have the child we promised each other eight years ago."

"Yeah," he says finally. "I am too."

And he brushes past her, leaving an echoing silence in his wake.

* * *

**Part 2 coming soon... stay tuned.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the amazing feedback guys :) You're the best! I hope this chapter was worth the wait.  
This chapter has been inspired by the band Halestorm.**

**((Shane and Mitchie are now thirty-seven.))**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Camp Rock or its characters._

* * *

_He left. And with him went my heart.  
_**-..-..-**

(_September 7, 2022_)

It is before her alarm goes off that Mitchie wakes up, breathes in deep, and remembers.

Mitchie remembers when she first met Shane, his soulful brown eyes boring into her own as he introduced himself as the new music teacher at Roswell Middle School. She remembers him asking her out, his guitar slung on his back, as she graded papers after school and the way her heart pounded as she said yes. Their first date was simple- dinner and a movie- and the night ended with a soft kiss on the doorstep.

Mitchie's lips curl into a brief smile as she remembers the way he proposed. It was simple because he sat on the edge of her desk and popped open a small black box to reveal a small diamond ring.  
She remembers her heart pounding so loud that she could barely hear the question he asked.

She said yes.

Mitchie remembers the way his chest would expand and contract against her back as he held her, the heat of his body seeping into hers. His lips, soft yet rough against her own.

She misses it. She misses him.

Mitchie stumbles when she gets up, almost falls, and then steadies herself when walking to the bathroom. Within seconds the water of the shower is pelting against the tile floor and she steps inside.

It is soothing at first, its comfortable heat seeping into her tired bones. Then it reminds Mitchie of the fight and she closes her eyes tightly, turning the knob so that the water is scalding hot and she rubs her skin raw with her loofah. It feels almost as raw as her heart.

It's only then, in the torrent of shower water that she cries for everything she has lost: her husband, her child, and her sense of home.

* * *

_Being alone gives a person time to think about life. If you don't know yourself it's quite a shock to realize that you aren't as sure about who you are and you aren't as complete and whole as you think you are.  
_**-..-..-**

(October 31, 2022)

Halloween is scary in every sense of the word.

For the children in Mitchie's English class the holiday is nothing but a day to dress up in costumes and knock at people's door for treats. They talk relentlessly about what they're going to do when night comes and it is pointless to try and quiet them.  
For Mitchie it is a time to confront her biggest fears and failures which are scarier than any monster she can think of.

At the end of the day Mitchie forces wide smiles and happy goodbyes to the few students who cared enough to say goodbye, then (when the classroom is empty) breathes in deep, dropping into her chair.

A light knock on the door startles her, and she turns around, thinking for a brief second that it may be Shane, only to be met with the sight of her best friend, Caitlyn Geller. Her wide brown eyes say everything and the pity they hold is mocking.

"I'm fine Cait." Mitchie says, knowing what she's thinking without her having to speak.

"No you aren't." she says bluntly, a slight bite to her words. "I know you and you're anything but fine."

There is nothing but silence between them as they hold each other's gaze. Caitlyn is the first to relent and her face softens, her legs carrying her to the desk closest to Mitchie's.

"How about we go out tonight? Nate can watch Alexander and take him trick-or-treating. We'd watch a movie or eat dinner or go bowling- whatever you want. It'd be great and as much as I love you, you need to get out of the house." she smiles a little. "Please Mitchie? I'm worried about you."

Mitchie hadn't given any thought as to how closely the Grey family was knitted together in a long time but it hits her in this moment.  
Caitlyn had been introduced to Nate (Shane's brother) through Mitchie herself soon after she started dating Shane. Nate and Caitlyn took to each other quickly and within a year of dating got married. Their son Alexander came soon after.  
Friends, now family weaved together- supporting each other when one fell down. And even though Caitlyn didn't say it Mitchie knew that she thought Shane was a coward for leaving her.

"Okay." Mitchie says after a moment, relenting. "Just let me do a couple of things here and I'll meet you at your house. Is seven okay?"

Caitlyn nods, stands, and squeezes her friend's hand. "Sure, whatever you need Mitchie. I'm here for you."

Mitchie stares at her hand, the one Caitlyn had squeezed.  
It was her left hand and on it lay the sparkling ring that once gave her so much joy. It too mocks her so she takes it off, placing it in the bottom of her desk drawer.

She doesn't look back.

**.._..**

Mitchie isn't an idiot. It's been two months and he hasn't come home. He hasn't come back and the chances of that happening now are quickly fading.

She fights with herself about changing the small things around the house... the leftover macaroni &amp; cheese and mixed vegetables in the fridge are sure to be bad, yet she can't bring herself to throw them out. His clothes are on his dresser, haphazard and tangled together (a fact that used to annoy Mitchie to no end), yet now it's endearing. He has also left his marks on the bathroom- the smell of his aftershave still lingering, his hair products and toothbrush mingling with hers.

It's beginning to be more trouble than it's worth, worrying about Shane and what he's doing, but she can't help it. He is her husband, no matter where he is or how long it's been since they've talked. And since she can't talk to him the least she can do is try and let go of what drove them apart to begin with.

Their child.

It was too soon to tell what gender it may have been and what the child may have looked like but Mitchie always liked to think it would have been a girl with Shane' dark hair and eyes with her porcelain skin and usually gentle demeanor.  
It's this picture in Mitchie's mind that brings her to this place.

Mitchie stands at the big black wrought iron gate of the cemetery, a single flower in her hand. She knows it isn't much but she holds her jacket close, moving to the symbolic, almost insignificant mound of dirt at the edge of the cemetery.

The wind blows, making it seem colder.

"It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." she murmurs, bending down.

Mitchie doesn't cry- there has been too much of that already- and when she straightens the weight on her heart is lighter. It was time to let go and she did.

* * *

__It's how we live that defines us- what we change and what we leave behind._  
_**..-..-..**

(November 21, 2021)

William Moseley was the handsome new math teacher at Roswell Middle School.  
He had moved into town a few weeks previously from England and when he found out that all of the female teachers swooned about his accent he blushed, obviously embarrassed.

He was so shy that it wasn't surprising he was drawn to the friendly (and pretty) brunette with sad brown eyes and no ring on her left hand.

It wasn't long after they became friends that he asked her out, his voice shaking as if he dreaded that she'd say no, but Mitchie didn't hesitate about saying yes. She felt free and was happy he knew nothing about her or her past.

Mitchie liked that William was the opposite of Shane.

William kept up with his appearance, always having a tie on underneath the sweater vests that accentuated his muscular biceps. He was a good speaker and focused on facts rather than taking impromptu trips to anywhere he wanted. She liked the way he said her full name- putting emphasis on the first 'e' because it was impossible for him not to.  
He liked to engage in talks about controversial subjects like politics and religion and to take walks in the park even though it was cold outside. Evidently it wasn't really cold compared to the weather he had dealt with over the years.

"Michelle," he says suddenly, breaking off whatever he was saying. "you seem like your mind is elsewhere. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." she says automatically tightening her grip on his arm, flashing him a quick smile. "I'm okay, I just zoned out. What were you saying?"

The wind blows and the scraping of dried brown leaves on the ground is heard everywhere.  
He pulls her gently to a stop, making her face him.

"You are always zoning out." he says gently, the American saying sounding strange with his accent. "What's wrong?"

A chill comes up her spine, not because of the weather but because he has almost figured out her darkest secret that still gnaws at the back of her mind from time to time. Instead of answering his question she grabs the lapels on his jacket, pulling him to her.  
It's a kiss that is needy and desperate and rough. And it ends as quickly as it begins because Mitchie pulls away, aware suddenly of what she just did. Williams lips that looked so pink and kissable were too soft, too gentle. They weren't _his_.

"I'm sorry." Mitchie says, her voice sounding far away, like she was underwater. "I have to go."

As she runs she can hear William' voice calling after her. It's bewildered.

"Michelle, wait!"

But she doesn't. She runs away, like a coward... like Shane.

* * *

_I guess you could say I miss you a little. A little too much, a little too often, and then a little more each day.**  
**_**..-..-..**

(December 10, 2021)

Mitchie listens to the wind howl as snow and hail pelt to the ground. She is curled up on the couch trying to read a book and in the background the radio is on low playing classical music. It's too hard to concentrate because there is now guilt is gnawing on her stomach to go with the denial in her brain even though she broke off whatever the hell she had with William. He had wanted to know too much and it didn't feel right to be with him.

Mitchie shuts her book and closes her eyes just as a knock sounds on the door. She throws off her blanket, eyebrows creased as she smooths down her hair and straightens her ratty t-shirt and grey sweatpants. She wasn't expecting any visitors with the weather as crazy as it was so she's a little self conscious.

She opens the door to a tired looking man with a familiar dufflebag at his feet.

Shane.

He stares at her with his familiar brown eyes and her hand drops from the doorknob, their life together flashing before her eyes in seconds.

Mitchie is torn between hugging him fiercely and slapping him silly. She decides to do both apparently because her hand moves forward on its own accord and his head whips to the side, her hand-print on his face. Then she surges forward, hugging him so tightly that it hurts.  
In this moment it doesn't matter what either of them had done the past few months, they just revel in each other.

"I'm sorry." he says, his voice wavering.

He buries his face in the crook of Mitchie' neck, his shoulders beginning to quake. He repeats the words so much that they begin to not sound like actual words anymore, and she grips him tighter. Her own tears fall on his shirt.

They have a lot to talk about but this is it- what they had been waiting for.

A new start.

* * *

**I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, school/life has been crazy. I should post the next and last chapter soon but I do have exams so please bare with me. Please review because it'd make my day!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the amazing feedback guys :) You're the best! Here's the last chapter. I love it and I hope you do too.  
**

****There is some **_T_** content in this chapter (ie: references to sex and minor language), nothing too explicit, but if that bothers you I suggest you skip this chapter altogether... even though I wish you wouldn't ;D****

**((Shane and Mitchie are thirty-seven.))**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Camp Rock or its characters._

* * *

_Each day is a struggle but it's what you do with the struggle that makes all the difference.**  
**_**..-..-..**

(January 12, 2022)

It's stormy and cold outside, the house dark. The power had gone out a few minutes earlier and Shane and Mitchie are searching gingerly for candles, lighters, and flashlights. They gather what they find, the only sound in the room being the click of lighters.  
The scent of candles permeates around them as they position themselves the way they want; Shane leaning back against the front of the couch, while Mitchie settles on the couch with her legs curled up beneath her. They sit, staring at the flickering candles in silence. Then:

"Are you here to stay?"

The question had wrestled its way out of her mouth unwilling but now that its out in the open she realizes how much she needs to know the answer.

He turns towards his wife, hesitates briefly, then reaches for her hand. He threads his long fingers with hers and squeezes as tight as he dares.

"I'm here Mitchie." he says. "I'm not leaving you again... not for the rest of my life."

* * *

_Mother, I know that you're tired of being alone. Dad, I know you're trying to fight when you feel like flying.  
**..-..-..**  
_

(February 17, 2022)

They've started sleeping in the same bed again. It's comforting to them both, even though they don't say it, to feel another weight on the side that had been empty for so long; to hear the other person breathing steadily each night.

Something changes this night as they slip under the covers and their arms accidentally brush against each other, a spark they forgot they had catching fire in the pit of their stomachs. They stare at each other for a long moment then move forward.

Fingers twist themselves into each others hair and hands roam under each others shirts, skimming the sensitive skin underneath. Anywhere and everywhere to spread their heat. Then as time passes the kisses become gentle and loving- he leaves them on the tip of her nose. Her cheeks. Her neck. Her lips.

She digs her fingertips into his shoulders and pulls him closer to her with her legs, sighing in contentment.

And for the moment it's just them- too wrapped up in sheets and each other to care about anything else in the world- and for the first time in forever they are husband and wife as they should be.

* * *

_A child will know how to love when they have been loved.  
__**..-..-..**_

(March 11, 2022)

Mitchie recognizes the sick feeling in her stomach, the metallic taste of vomit in the back of her throat before it happens and dashes to the bathroom. She reaches it just in time.

The vomiting stops as quickly as it began and as she clutches the toilet so hard her knuckles turn white she lets her thoughts whirl.

One month.

One night.

No protection.

The possibility runs through her mind.  
"Oh my god."

_**..-..-..**_

Her suspicions are proved correct as she sits on the toilet an hour later holding a white stick, the pink plus sign on it clearly visible.  
Tears slide down her face, and she doesn't know why. She wanted this- the problem is that she didn't expect it... and obviously doesn't want _this_ to end the same way her other pregnancies had.  
Her breath rattles in her throat as she shakes uncontrollably and it occurs to her that maybe she's finally losing it. Yet, even as she thinks it she knows she is wrong and touches her stomach. Despite it all, she's happy.

**..-..-..**

When Shane comes home she meets him at the door and kisses him.  
He obviously doesn't expect it because it takes him a moment to respond and when he does its brief. He pulls back and questions her with the quirk of his eyebrow.

It takes her a moment to look up and answer him, but when she finally does her eyes shine with happy tears.

"Honey..." she strokes his cheek and her voice trembles as she continues. "Shane- we're going to have a baby. I'm pregnant. And this time it's going to live, I can feel it."

* * *

**_2 Months_**

The doctor had given Mitchie a list of warnings that comes with being pregnant over the age of thirty-five.

**\- _You're more likely to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy_**  
**\- _You're more likely to have a low birth weight baby and a premature birth._  
**\- _You might need a C-section._**  
**\- _The risk of chromosome abnormalities is higher._**  
**\- _The risk of pregnancy loss is higher._**  
**  
The list goes on- its bold words lodging themselves in the back of her mind.

_Risk_.

The word makes a cold shiver run down her spine.

_A situation involving exposure to danger_.

The definition comes to mind unwillingly.

The weight of her situation comes back to her mind and it isn't for the first time that she wonders if she's doing the right thing by bringing a child into this world, even if there was a chance something could be wrong with him or her.

She shakes her head and the idea goes away, if only for a moment.  
"Don't worry baby... everything will be alright."

**_4 Months_**

Shane had always been one to be constantly moving- he'd pace when nervous, tap out rhythms on his leg, or he would jangle his keys in his pocket.

It is exactly the way he is now, sitting beside Mitchie as they wait for the doctor to enter the room and Mitchie squeezes his hand reassuringly, then smooths out the crease between his eyebrows with her thumb.  
He grabs her hand and encases it with both of his.

"How are you so calm?" he asks, awe and disbelief in his tone.

When she looks at him, her gaze is gentle and understanding.  
"Shane- this is our baby. It's a piece of me and you- how can I be nervous about that?" She smiles as she runs a hand over her slightly rounded stomach. "The way this baby was conceived, it was out of love... this baby... it's our little miracle, and that's all that matters."

Their doctor,Dr. Montgomery, enters now- her shoulder length red hair tucked behind her ears, a wide smile on her face.

"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Grey... lets take a look at your baby, shall we?"

They can feel each others hands tense up from where they are both connected and together they answer:  
"Yes. We're ready."

Dr. Montgomery warns Mitchie of how the gel may be cold right before she puts it on, then spreads it around with her wand. After a few moments of searching, a gentle 'wump, wump, woosh' sound fills the room.  
Mitchie stares at the monitor with the grainy picture of their baby on it in awe, then at Shane who has tears in his eyes.

"Look at what we did."

He nods, struck dumb.

Dr. Montgomery clears her throat.  
"Would you like to know the baby's gender?"

The answer is prompt and breathless.  
"Yes, we'd like to know."

There is a few seconds more of searching and bated breath.  
"Congratulations to you both. You're going to be parents of a baby girl."

Shane leans forward now and kisses Mitchie, pouring his soul out to her in the brief moments that their lips are pressed together.

"I see it now," he whispers. "... she's our little miracle."

**_6_ Months**

"What do you think her name should be?"

The question comes from Mitchie as they sit side by side on their bed before sleep.

She has a book in one hand and takes off her reading glasses with the other as she continues.  
"You know, because we've talked about it but we never really decided on it."

Shane chuckles a little, turns the TV on the wall across from them on mute, and leans forward to kiss her.  
"You know what name I like Mitch."

"But..."

He raises his voice over hers briefly.  
"_And_ I know what name you like. So, we either come up with a compromise... or we can call her 'baby' for the rest of her life."  
His tone is lighthearted and his eyes dance with humor.

Mitchie laughs. "Ok, Mr. Funnyman. I get your point."

She brushes her fingers across his face jokingly and moves closer to him, succeeding only in going forward a few inches due to her belly. It presses into Shane and his hands caress it gently. His face blossoms into an expression of wonder as the baby kicks right where he's touching.

Mitchie smiles at him, and her sensitive emotions get the better of her as her eyes tear up.

"Oh honey, don't cry." Shane says as he looks up, a laugh in his voice. "It's ok."

She laughs as she wipes her tears.  
"I know, but these are happy tears. I'm just glad that we're finally happy. It has been so long since I've been able to say that."

He kisses her gently on the forehead.  
"Me too, Mitchie. Me too."

* * *

(November 14, 2022)

**8 Months**

**12:23pm  
**

Mitchie has been pacing the bedroom like a tiger since a little after ten and her contractions come about twenty minutes apart.

Shane watches from the bed, his eyes following her.

"Honey, maybe we should go to the hospital."

She stops to look at him, her expression bewildered. Then:  
"No Shane. No... all they'll make me do is lay in a bed and eat nothing but ice chips for hours on end. We don't have to leave yet- I'm not."

Shane holds up his hands in mock surrender at her vehement disagreement.

"Okay, so we won't going to the hospital just yet but Mitchie you should at least try to sleep. Ease my mind- just a little bit. I'm worried about you."

Michie's face crumples in frustration and Shane gets up from the edge of the bed to hug her. Her stomach presses into his own and he feels the warmth it radiate against him. She leans in as much as she can.

"I'm sorry I've been so mean to you tonight."

Shane pulls away and brushes back Mitchie's hair.  
"Hey, I'm on your side, and if you don't want to go yet that's fine. But do me a favor?"

She nods. "Anything."

"Don't try and hide anything from me. I'm here to help you through this and I don't want to lose you... either of you."

**1:03am**

Shane fiddles with Mitchie's soft hair and observes how her eyelashes brush her flushed cheeks. How she makes small whimpering sounds in her sleep.

He hums gently to calm her... or maybe just himself.

Sighing, he eases himself away from her and as soon as he's out of the room, he taps out a rhythm on his leg. The house is dark for the most part and he has already checked all their hospital prepped bags. He has also cleaned up their mess from dinner, so this is what he resorts to.

More waiting and worrying.

**1:53am**

Mitchie awakens again to a sharp pain and Shane finds her hand in the dim light.

"Honey, we need to go to the hospital. I think my water just broke."

Her voice is rough, a little raspy, and Shane breathes a sigh of relief because she came to that realization on her own and not due to his pushing her.

"Okay- let's go."

**.._..**

**2:22am**

The ride to the hospital is a normal one with relatively no swearing for either of them.  
It was easier at home where the only thing to do was pace up and down the hall with his hands stuffed in roughly into his jean pockets, but on the road there are more obstacles and the reality that this is actually happening is finally dawning on him.

He is going to be a dad, and Mitchie will be a mom.

Shane glances over at Mitchie as they go under a street lamp, her face screwed up in pain, and despite it all thinks that he has never seen anything more beautiful.

"It's going to be okay honey." he says and grasps her hand. "We're almost there."

**.._..**

**2:57am**

When they make it to the hospital there are flurries of motion- bags are being grabbed from the backseat, a wheelchair meets them in the lobby, and paperwork is being filled out- everything is a blur.

By the time everything is said and done it's almost time for Mitchie to push and everybody is in blue scrubs, waiting for the doctor.

"Shane, I'm not ready for this... I can't do it!" her voice trembles and cracks and tears stream down her face.

He caresses her hair, her cheek, and kisses the top of her head.  
"You can do this Mitch- you can!" he says earnestly. "You have to. Just breathe... I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?"

The look on her face and the emotion in her voice makes his own face twist in the way it does when he's about to cry.  
"I promise Mitchie. I told you before- I'll never leave you again."

She seems reassured and tries her best to compose herself with the murmured encouragements of her husband and doctor fading into buzzes in her mind. Blindly she pushes, pain blurring the lines between what is real and what isn't; she vaguely recalls clutching Shane's hand for support and that she should apologize for how much she hurt him.  
But then all of that doesn't seem to matter anymore because there is a release, then the weak intermittent wailing of a baby. Mitchie gives a gasping cry and everyone is saying how well she did, congratulating her. Over the din the doctor calls out:

"You've got a beautiful baby girl. Congratulations."

"You did it honey." Shane says, kissing her forehead.

"Where is she?" Michie manages to say right before places her baby in her arms. Mitchie is careful to support its head and once she is settled in her mothers arms the baby stops crying.

There is a moment in which all Mitchie and Shane can do is smile at each other. Then they look at their child- her skin is a little bit red, and she's pudgy, but she's got a tuft of black hair on her head and her eyes are the exact same color as Mitchies.

"Shall we name her what we discussed?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah, I think so. Alexandra Claire Grey." she whispers.

"Lexie for short."

Mitchie laughs, then agrees. "Lexie for short. I like it."

"Me too."

* * *

**Thank you, reader, for reading my story. I know it's been a long time coming for three short chapters but nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know in the review box below. If any of you watch Grey's Anatomy you'll see all kinds of irony in this chapter, lol.**

**Also, this last chapter didn't really deal with the issues that arose because of Shane leaving, so I'm going to be writing a tie in one-shot soon.**


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